


The Perfect Gentleman

by Zenzel



Category: SEVENTEEN (Band)
Genre: Alternate Universe - College/University, Competition, Denial of Feelings, Drunken Flirting, Gay, Gay Chicken, M/M, Minor Character Death, Multi, Party, Puns & Word Play, Students
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-22
Updated: 2018-09-27
Packaged: 2019-07-01 06:47:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 7
Words: 16,375
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15768771
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zenzel/pseuds/Zenzel
Summary: ‘’It’s not gay if it’s just a game!’’ Quickly added Mingyu, knowing that Hansol was naive enough to believe such nonsense.‘’Alright, let’s do it then.’’OrHansol and Mingyu have a little competition about getting a boy as quickly as possible.





	1. Players

**Author's Note:**

> The summary says it all. Have fun!

A basketball game was at its peak in the school yard and the spectators were cheering violently the team on which they had bet. Mingyu was so concentrated on his playing that he had quite forget about the rest of the world. But, the moment he was about to do an awesome dunk, the bell rang. He got back to reality after the announcement of the next period that had the same effect on him as an alarm clock.

Frustrated, the majority started to complain as the rest of them headed to their next course, resolved. He soon noticed that the ones whom weren’t disappointed were about to lose their gambles anyways. Since his team was about to win, he felt proud of himself, so whatever. He then abandoned the ball before catching up with Jihoon and Hansol who didn’t played that day.

‘’Hey, good game bro!”

“Thanks man! I need a shower now…”

Dragging his feet, Mingyu let the sunshine illuminate his gold skin one last time before wiping his face with a towel. He sighed loudly and thought that it was unfair to obligate people to sit on their asses all day when the weather outside was so nice.

“I’ll do some homework at the library tonight. Wanna join?” Asked Hansol without expecting any positive answer from them. Jihoon politely declined, but it was no surprise since he always needed to spend time alone right after classes, just like a battery needed to be charged. But Kim _Master of Procrastination_ Mingyu answered differently:

 “Ugh, I guess so. I’ve some research to do in History class. See you there?”

They agreed before their paths separated. Hansol was younger than his hyungs so they couldn’t possibly have a similar schedule even if they had wished to. As expected, Math class had been boring as hell for Hansol. He was now walking towards the library with firm steps, trying to forget everything related to parabolas or algebra. When he entered the quiet space, a matcha latte in one hand, he decided to open his books right away. By starting studying so soon, he could leave the damn place earlier and finish the last episodes of _The Office,_ his favorite American TV show of the moment.

Eventually Mingyu joined him. The latter had first searched for documentaries and other trivialities before sitting down in front of Hansol. They did their best. After five minutes of reading the same paragraph over and over again and not understanding a single word, they went back to the usual…

“Why didn’t you tell me that your substitute teacher in Photography was so good-looking?!” almost screamed Hansol, frustrated. “She’s a bomb!”

Basically, they started chattering and ignoring their duty as students once more.

“I know right? I’m not sure how old she is, but she’s probably in her early twenties!”

“Bro… You should definitely hit on her.”

Mingyu’s smirk spoke for himself. Hansol would have punch that little punk if he was sitting closer to him.

“Don’t tell me…”

“She invited me to a date, a couple of days ago.”

“Fuck off dude!”

Mingyu winked back at his friend. He was either the luckiest guy on earth or a true Romeo and, according to Hansol’s point of view, the second option was definitely more accurate. Mingyu was indeed a charming individual. His dark blond hair emphasized his pitch black eyes with sparks in them and he had a jawline that could kill any lady. It wasn’t tough for him to find a warm body to spend the night with. At this point, only his weird personality was preventing him from being in any kind of relationship.

“I hope you said yes?!”

As an answer, Mingyu shrugged his shoulders and the playful expression he had seconds ago switched to a detached one. Hansol would have strangle him to death if they weren’t in a public place. His abnormal way of thinking had always been a solid turn off!

“I can’t believe you refused… You can get anyone you like. It’s not fair!”

“So can you!”

Although Hansol was jealous, he wasn’t the right person to complain. He was also considered as one of the most pretty and mysterious guy of his cohort. His genes were helping a lot. He was half American and half Korean, which added to his unique features. His bright smile and the similar traits he shared with Leonardo Di Caprio were the weak spots of many girls. In fact, they probably both had a secret fan club in the shallows of the university without even knowing their existences.

“Hmkay, you know what? Let’s start a little competition.”

Hansol raised an eyebrow, not entirely sure if it was a good idea to put his trust in this questionable sentence, of Mingyu that is. That guy was sometimes so unpredictable that it was giving him the creeps.

“Since it’s too easy to flirt nowadays, let’s try another pattern.”

Ignoring where this strange discussion was heading, Hansol let his friend pursued without interruption.

“So… let’s get someone as quickly as possible. You versus me.”

Hansol didn’t understand why Mingyu lowered his voice yet, but somehow it had given him chills. The next proposal was going to be very controversial.

“Get to the main point already.”

The younger one took a sip of his green drink while his hyung whispered:

“Let’s get a _boy_.”

Hansol spit out all of his latte on Mingyu’s face while everyone in the library turned their backs to face them. He honestly didn’t give a single shit about the attention they were receiving. His friend just asked him to date another _dude… just for fun_! It took a moment for Mingyu to finally wipe his face on which an annoying smile was still on.

“That was refreshing, thank you very much.”

“What the fuck, Mingyu. What. The. _Fuck_.”

“So… you’re telling me you won’t participate?”

“Exactly! Give me a single reason to do so?”

“Because you’re no _chicken_?”

Tension suddenly increased between them. It was a challenge and if Hansol refused, he would earned this title for _eternity_. Mingyu was definitely going to bring back that insult at him, whenever he could, for the rest of his life –and probably once in hell too. On the other hand, he could pretend to play the game and simply let Mingyu and his questionable tendencies do their thing. He was solely going to be the witness of an interesting chessboard game.

‘’It’s not gay if it’s just a game!’’ Quickly added Mingyu, knowing that Hansol was naive enough to believe such nonsense.

‘’Alright, let’s do it then.’’

They shook hands and finally went back to their homework, one of them being satisfied by the turn of events and the other still being extremely confused of what just happened.

***

Several days had passed and no one had make a move yet. It wasn’t like Hansol had planned on doing any and his friend was probably aware of that. It might also be the only thing that was stopping Mingyu from flirting with literally every-fucking-guy of his class. He had a lot of choices because most of the students were actually male students. But, no one was really open about their sexual preferences if it wasn’t heterosexuality.… In brief, it was going to be a great challenge.

Hansol of course always had the impression that his friend was way more open-minded and touchy than others. But still, he was shocked to receive a dare like that without hesitation from Mingyu’s side. Wasn’t Hansol the definition of heterosexuality? He looked truly masculine and never _ever_ had questioned his sexual orientation in the past. So, what was the matter? He liked girls and that was the important part… right? Maybe it was just an excuse for Mingyu and his nebulous sexuality to explore more possibilities.

By Monday noon, they met up with a bunch of friends on the top of a little hill near school. Chan, Jihoon and Jisoo were already having a philosophical discussion when Seungcheol and Jeonghan showed up too, hand in hand. These two weren’t what we could call ‘’friends’’ after a complete year of dating. In the eyes of Jisoo, who was the one who had presented them to each other, they were already married, thanks to him. It seemed that Cupid had never met modesty before.

“Hey, are you guys interested by a party at mine, next Friday? Bring your girl… or your _boy_.”

Chan teasingly slipped a glance to the gay couple of the place, knowing that pointing a finger at them would definitely annoy Jeonghan. While the younger one was lectured by the mother of the group, Hansol felt heat on his cheeks as he realised that he could have been involved in that allusion too. The others fortunately didn’t notice because of the funny interaction in the center... Except for Mingyu, who had changed place to sit right next to him.

“Sooooooo what are the developments on your side?”

“Eh? Oh, good. Good! What about you?”

“Stop the lies, Leo… I’m here to add new rules.”

Hansol’s stress increased but he pretended that it didn’t bother him at all. Mingyu’s smile widened dangerously as he explained that there was going to be a price for the winner: jajangmyeon provided by the looser during a whole week. Hansol’s jaw broke when he thought about how much Wons he was going to spend on his friend’s bottomless stomach.

“Also, let’s give each other _preys_ , so we can focus on a single person. It will be easier.”

Hansol couldn’t care less about that part. He was already having a nervous breakdown about the money question, but he still managed to mumble:

“Just give me a name…”

Hansol should have sniffed out the trickery as Mingyu pointed fingers at a special someone, who was sitting on a bench in the school yard with two friends of his. It took Hansol a few seconds to recognize the brown-haired guy in question and, as soon as he did, he hold back a curse with difficulty. He just had the confirmation that Mingyu truly was an asshole.

“Seriously, bro… _Him_ out of a thousand guys?!”

Actually, Mingyu wasn’t an asshole… but the devil himself. Hansol’s new prey was no one else but the top student of his class, a guy who answered by the name of Seungkwan. An annoying individual as well, had he noticed several times in the past. It seemed like the favorite pastime of Seungkwan was to correct the teacher like the nerd he was and it was very annoying. Even if it was just a game, Hansol felt the betrayal at its finest. Like hell he was going to show mercy on his opponent!

“You wanna play dirty? Fine! I’ll give you what you deserve…”

Hansol passed down the school yard in review and his sight stopped at a particular face. It was the turn of Mingyu’s smile to fade a bit.

“Oh come on, I don’t know him at all… He’s not even in my class!”

“So you’re saying that you’re the chicken now?”

Hansol designated a black-haired guy who was watching the current basketball game. Panicked, his friend exploded:

“For fuck’s sake… have some pity on me!”

Mingyu’s prey, the lucky winner, was known as the iceberg-man because of the rude attitude he displayed towards others. If that cold individual was an old man, he would feed pigeons at a park as an excuse to judge people silently. In no way Mingyu, even if he looked like a supermodel, would be able to get anything near to a kiss from him –and that Hansol was perfectly aware… Or how to spare his bank account for the time being.

“Not my problem anymore… Good luck!”


	2. So Close Yet So Far

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thanks to my lovely peeps for the reviews on the first chap uwu

Hansol just loved to attempt Gym class. He didn’t need to rack his brains in order to pass and, let’s be honest, he was quite good in sports. The whole semester was dedicated to running and he was one of the best so far. Just like long showers help some people to relax, running had the same beneficial effects on him. It was his way of disconnecting from his problems, if only for a short time.

After his seventh kilometer completed, he was so focused on his performance that he entered what he called the ‘’zone’’. The zone was exactly when endorphins hit him at their fullest, making him a little dizzy, but in a good way. At this point, it was tough for him to see anything else but the race trail. Unfortunately, he had forgotten his cap at home and the sun that day was beating down really hard on his head. These two things were not a good mix for his physical condition, but the teacher seemed not to notice his face paler than usual.

As he was completing another lap, he was catching up with someone who was probably walking since the start signal sound. Still, that person seemed truly interesting in his eyes. Not because he recognized her or anything, but because, _oh Lord_ , have you seen that ass?

As he got closer to that golden bum, it made his mouth water. Okay, he definitely was a strange guy, but that wasn’t the point here. What was important, was this masterpiece. He couldn’t detached his sight from this oasis in an infinite desert. Seriously, what would cost him giving it a little slap, or better: grabbing a handful of it?

While weighing the pros and cons, he didn’t realise that the girl in question had stopped right in front of him. The dramatic result was immediate. As Hansol had screamed “move!’’, she faced him with eyes wide open. Their foreheads bumped into each other and they both violently fell down. Hansol’s sight was now really disturbed because of his dehydration.

“Mmm… Ass…”

“G-Get off me!”

That voice reminding him of someone, Hansol opened his eyes to make sure it wasn’t _the one_ , but he couldn’t see anything but a blurry face. Hansol started to finally understand where he was and he moved to the side with difficulty to let the person free. Seconds later, he felt something cold on his neck as he slowly regained consciousness. 

The teacher had placed a towel dampened in cold water on him to refresh him. Hansol then noticed that is classmates were all gathering around them and, embarrassed by his fail, he tried to get up rapidly. His pride not helping, he almost felt down again if one of the student didn’t grabbed his waist to keep him on his feet.

“Just let go… I’m fine.”

“No, you’re definitely not,” opposed the teacher in a firm tone. “Seungkwan, please, take him to the infirmary, I’ve got a group to look after.”

“Okay, no problem. I guess I’ll have to skip the rest of the class then…”

Crap, so Hansol was right after all. He had been on top of the nerd minutes ago, or on top the owner of the golden bum he should say. Soon enough he would probably need to explain this strange situation to Seungkwan, who was also the one grabbing his waist right now. Awkward shit.

“C’mon, let’s go to the infirmary.”

Hansol followed Seungkwan’s lead to the school, his arm still supporting his weight. Once they arrived in the waiting room, Hansol was relieved to finally separate from the nerd. When meeting someone for the first time, he was more like the quiet type, so being touched by a stranger wasn’t his cup of tea. But Seungkwan and shyness being two opposite concepts, it didn’t take much time before he introduced himself happily:

“I think you’ve heard my name just now, but I’m-“

“Yeah, Seungkwan,” confirmed Hansol, who was avoiding eye contact with his designated prey.

“Right! What’s yours?”

Hansol wanted to look menacing but that dude kept being exaggeratedly friendly. Seriously, even after literally falling on him, Seungkwan’s smile was so bright that it was blinding him. All that Hansol ever wanted was to never maintain a polite discussion with the nerd. What if Mingyu would heard about their intimate moment in the infirmary? Chaos would definitely reign in school, his popularity not helping silencing the rumors.

“Hey, you okay?” wondered Seungkwan with concern in his eyes. “I don’t want you to collapse again!” God Hansol would have pinched a chubby cheek of his, but he chose to change the subject instead.

“What did you expect to happen by stopping in the middle of the track earlier?” Hansol’s voice was harsh. The perfect way to keep a proper distance between them was to be rude with the cinnamon roll that was Seungkwan.

Or at least Hansol thought that he was a cinnamon roll… 

“Hum, excuse you?!” almost screamed Seungkwan, offended by that previous accusation. “You’re the one who kept running into me like a headless chicken!”

Hansol hardly repressed a laugh after hearing such a comparison. He then snorted, still a little bit hateful against his own behaviour: admiring for so long a thicc body part that belonged to a guy.

“Speaking of which,” started Seungkwan with much suspicion, “you said something truly disturbing, but I don’t remember… What was it exactly?”

And then, Seungkwan placed both his hands on his butt, as they could be a useful protection against perverts like Hansol! The latter at this point couldn’t help but bursting into laughter. Hansol had already given up his fierce mask.

“How dare you! I can’t believe…”

But Seungkwan’s face wasn’t truly intimidating either. Maybe Hansol was wrong to be rude without any reason towards the nerd, simply because Mingyu was trying to match them together. 

“Let’s be honest… You liked it!”

They laughed once again and the mood after that was way more pleasant. Soon enough, it was Hansol’s turn to see the nurse, but for some reason he would have liked to pursue this playful conversation.

“Anyways, thanks for making me skip Gym class. I was about to start a revolution against it, but you bumping into me had the same result, so...”

“My pleasure. Farewell, overreacting princess!”

Seungkwan slipped a last glance in his back and one could read ‘’fuck you’’ in his eyes, before he closed the door behind him. Hansol then realised the nerd was not as lame as he thought. For some reason, he recalled the new rules that Mingyu recently added, including the free food provided during a whole week for the winner. His tummy rumbled. Mingyu was known as the biggest eater in their clique, but they often underestimated Hansol’s appetite…

What a big mistake. Maybe it was time for Hansol to take the game a little more seriously... just because of his grown interest for jajangmyeon, of course. 

***

The next day, Mingyu played basketball after school until the sun was setting over the horizon. It was his worst game in a long time. His muscles were all tensed and he couldn’t concentrate completely on what was happening around him. He usually didn’t even hear the cheering, but now it was affecting his strategy. Noticing that his teamwork and his usual enthusiasm were lacking, some people in the crowd angrily shouted:

“Where’s your head today?!”

“You need one if you wanna win!”

Mingyu didn’t take these comments into account, even though deep down he knew that his sudden anxiety wasn’t a fluke. A pair of onyx eyes that was following his every movement, was responsible for his clumsiness. Since the moment Hansol had designated his prey, Mingyu was feeling nervous around the iceberg-man.

The one-second meeting of their eyes had resulted in a collision between Mingyu and a member of his own team, Jisoo. The latter one helped him to get on his feet and Seungcheol, who was sitting on the bench, declared the end of the game in a firm tone. Mingyu could finally stop pressuring himself and being denigrated even more. Players and gamblers then started to scatter, the majority of them being disappointed after losing the bet that had been placed on his team.

“You’re just not in the mood. Don’t mind them,” Jisoo reassured him.

“Thanks man!”

Mingyu instinctively searched for his prey, but the latter was nowhere in sight. His friend frowned before asking who he was looking for. Mingyu told him absentmindedly. A bit confused, Jisoo slipped a glance in their backs, where the iceberg-man and Seungcheol were exchanging money with the rest of the group that had participated in the gambling.

“You mean… him?”

Jisoo was about to ask for further explanations but Mingyu was already walking towards his prey with a stupid grin on his face. The taller one had enough avoiding his subject of competition and he was really excited to meet a new face –a new face that was very beautiful indeed. The iceberg-man was smaller than him and paler as well and, as he got closer, Mingyu also noticed that he had slicked back hair and soft facial features.

He walked by Seungcheol who looked at him with much curiosity. Mingyu then took in a little breathe of courage before asking in a warm and deep voice to the individual in front of him:

“And… you are?”

Seungcheol’s eyes widened after hearing his pick-up line. Mingyu wasn’t confident at all but, with a bit of luck, his proud approach would trick his prey into that illusion. His acting and looks were precious assets he could use to leave a good impression. But, as Seungcheol had feared, the icerberg-man wasn’t a person who could easily be fooled. Without a warning, his prey looked right into Mingyu’s eyes and answered coldly:

“Better than you. Now, if you excuse me…”

There was a moment of silence before Mingyu, as roasted as a steak on a grill, let his prey walking away without adding anything. He was already searching for ways in his mind to leave the surface of earth so he could forget every memories related to this awkward situation and never bump into the iceberg-man ever again.

“Oh my God… What the heck were you trying to do?” Asked Seungcheol, completely startled.

“Seduce him.”

“Seduce _Jeon_ _Wonwoo_? Are you out of your goddamn mind?!”

Finally emerging from his astonishment, Mingyu decided to swallow his pride and to follow Wonwoo’s steps, abandoning a traumatized Seungcheol and a perplexed Jisoo in his back. From now on he needed to make sure that he wasn’t acting like a player. He had just figured out that such a technique was useless with a guy so particular. 

“I didn’t have time to introduce myself, but my name is-”

“I know who you are.”

Of course he knew. Wonwoo had watched religiously every basketball confrontation since the beginning of the year and Mingyu played in each of them. It was another stupid question... But still, Mingyu couldn’t help but smiling like an idiot. It was the first time someone kept roasting him without flinching and it was a funny experience, far different from what he was used to.

“R-Right! So I guess that you’re more of an observer?”

Wonwoo glared at him before walking a little bit faster. Mingyu would have laughed by seeing such an exasperated face, but he needed to keep his serious in any circumstances according to his previous dating experiences. Every time he had revealed his true self to someone he had interest for in the past, their relationship had not last long after. In his case, to open up was synonymous with being rejected. He had no intention of repeating the same mistake again.

“Why are you there at every game then?”

“Isn’t that obvious?”

Wonwoo designated the empty pockets of his jeans. By seeing the complete incomprehension in his interlocutor eyes, he sighed loudly and added:

“I like gambling. But thanks to you, I don’t even have any penny left.”

Mingyu felt ashamed during five seconds before a sarcastic smile appeared on his faceagain. The iceberg-man frowned but continued his way without waiting for the following. Not giving up, Mingyu caught up with his prey and mocked:

“Sooooooo you’ve bet your precious money on _me_?”

Wonwoo rolled his eyes but didn’t answer anything. Mingyu took this opportunity to show off teasingly:

“I gotta say that I’m quite touched. You put so much trust in me and yet, it’s not like we know each other-”

“Speaking of which, I don’t intend to.”

One could have translate that sentence by ‘’go away, I’m tired”, but Mingyu was a pretty stubborn person. Wonwoo was perfectly informed of that point since his stalker was already getting on his nerves. The dust had no time to settle between them before Mingyu said:

“But I want to.”

“What?”

“I want to know you.”

The iceberg-man stopped right away, looking directly at Mingyu’s face. The taller one felt a light blush spreading on his ears. Wonwoo was standing still in front of him and their faces were not so far away from each other’s. Mingyu couldn’t remember the last time he blushed because of someone… But surely he couldn’t think _straight_ at that moment.

“I-I’m not kidding. So I was wondering if you would like to hang out sometimes…”

Normally he would have added something funny like ‘’no homo though”, but that would have been a lie. And, out of nowhere, Wonwoo had suddenly reduced the distance between them. Mingyu froze because of their sudden proximity before he heard:

“Please, go get professional help.”

Wonwoo finally left his number one fan alone and he shut close the door of his student residence rudely. Mingyu, almost aroused by what just happened, yelled back in a childish tone:

“Was that a yes?!”

 


	3. Forget The B In Bromance

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> y'all adorable to leave kudos and comments, it's more than appreciated xx

Mingyu was feeling like a fucking k-pop star. Everybody was taking pictures of him while he was enjoying a little stroll in the neighborhood. He was on the verge of saying ‘’no paparazzi please’’, because of the amount of people that was stopping him within a minute. But it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling at all. To be honest, he had always wanted to be an actor. Mingyu wasn’t sure if it was for getting a little more recognition in his daily life, but he really had the impression that he missed some big opportunities related to the stage in the past.

Anyways, he had to admit that they were probably taking pictures of his dog in leash, a Rhodesian ridgeback, and not _exactly_ him, but Mingyu liked to think they were praising him too. Now that he was studying Fashion and design, he was only doing a job behind the scenes, far away from the spotlights. Ironically, when he was younger, he had been a trainee for two years before he gave up that uncertain path. He had preferred, just like Seungcheol, to let it go and to fully concentrate on his studies.

After an hour or so, he was walking passed his university. Without even noticing it, his feet had brought him to this very place during one of his rare moments of freedom. He bit his inferior lip, lost in his thoughts. His subconsciousness was definitely playing tricks on him, otherwise it wouldn't have leaded him to the residence where his prey was living. Mingyu was attentively observing the surroundings in search of a friend on this hopeful spring day. The constant chirping of crickets and the blazing sun were proves that summer time was yet to come.

Suddenly, he found the iceberg-man under the shade of a tree. The latter was sitting peacefully on the grass as he was doing some homework. Mingyu's heart skipped a beat when he noticed the cute pout of his prey, who was struggling to solve a complicated math problem. He desperately wanted to go and interact with him, but he didn't want to be a pain in his ass again. But, his dog being interested too in meeting Wonwoo, it was leading the way in his direction. Mingyu smiled again... it was his lucky day!

"Bada, slow down!" He told his dog without expecting it to obey, but just to announce his presence.

To Mingyu's dismay, Wonwoo jumped on his feet right away and quickly picked up his books. He then headed in the opposite direction, without addressing a single word to him. Mingyu was outraged. What was wrong with him?

"Wait!"

But the iceberg-man didn't even looked back. As Mingyu started to walk faster, Wonwoo was legit running away from him. What was the point of this ridiculous chase, seriously? Still, Mingyu staying true to himself, his determination was forcing him to pursue his goal... literally.

"You, freeze!" Screamed a panicked Wonwoo while turning around on his feet.

"Calm down... I'm not that much of a crazy stalker!" Insisted Mingyu while letting out a laugh.

His prey's eyes widened with surprise by recognizing his fan number one in such circumstances.

"You again?! Why are you following me?"

"Why are you avoiding me?"

Mingyu was proud of his come-back as Wonwoo sighed angrily. Grimacing, he then pointed fingers at the happy Bada. 

"I don't like dogs, at all!"

So that was the real matter. Guilt was now feeling heavy on Mingyu's shoulders. He knew he just had messed up once more and, to pick up the pieces rapidly, he took off Bada's leash and encouraged his dog to explore the park freely, far away from their position. The iceberg-man finally breathed out.

"What can I say..."

"You’re sorry, because you fucking should be?"

Mingyu could only stared at his own shoes, not daring to lift his chin up. He was already insulting himself in his head for acting so dumb around his prey. It was obvious that his prey's reaction was filled with fear! His natural clumsiness really was one of his bad habit...

"Alright, just forget about it." He heard the iceberg-man said after a while. 

"No, you've the right to be mad at me... I'm sorry."

"Don't worry... After all, you couldn't know."

Mingyu finally looked in the other's eyes, truly apologetic. For once, he didn't feel like his prey was about to roast him or anything. Wonwoo's breath was strong enough for heaving his chest, but his almond eyes were serene.

"I’ll make it up to you… I can help you with that!"

Mingyu was referring to his homework. Wonwoo seemed to hesitate.

"Really?"

“I’m not bad in maths!”

They slowly got back to Wonwoo's initial spot with Bada on the heels, the dog being enough far away from them for Wonwoo to stop freaking out. And Mingyu didn't previously lie, his analytic mind was truly helping the process. After doing some exercises together, their discussion took another direction.

"If that's not too personal, why don't you like dogs?"

It wasn't even possible for Mingyu to spend an entire life without pets. The iceberg-man shrugged his shoulders.

"I was attacked right in the face by one when I was just a kid. Thank God it was just a snap, so I don't have any scar, but still..."

Mingyu nodded in response, before looking at the sky. He spotted the single plane that was destroying the blue uniformity above their heads.

"Don't you think fears exist to be confronted?"

Wonwoo looked at the pitiful Bada, which was sitting alone a few meters away, and answered:

"Probably... I never thought about it."

A soothing silence settled down between them and Mingyu took a moment to examine Wonwoo. He liked every details about him, especially his hands, his sexy neck and also the way his skin was glowing in the sunlight. How could he never had noticed this complicated yet beautiful specimen before?

"Jeon Wonwoo."

"Yeah?"

"Nothing. I just like your name, so I said it out loud."

Where others would have said ''weirdo", Wonwoo just shook his head, visibly amused. He then continued scribbling on his notebook while _trying_ to hide his shyness. For some reason, Mingyu's heart was now racing faster.

"This is a great improvement."

"What is?"

"Us. Our relationship is definitely going somewhere!"

As an answer, Wonwoo leaned closer to him and then gave him a flick on the forehead.

"Go home, peasant, you're drunk."

Mingyu couldn’t stop giggling like a kid after being touched for the first time by his _crush_. If only the blankets and the picnic basket were not missing, he would have considered this day like the most perfect date he ever went to.

***

To make ends meet at the end of the month, Hansol was working as a barista in a little boutique at his university campus. But it wasn’t the typical and cute coffee shop he had seen a million times in Korean dramas… It was basically a dirty van with open windows, where he had to serve shady drinks, poor ice-cream flavors and disgusting fast-food plates to his clients. He hated the scent of his clothes after his shifts, but the fryer wasn’t helping his case. On top of that, he had to wear a stupid pink hat that made him look like a dick. God he hated that shitty uniform.

The only reason why he was still working there, it was because they had enough employees at the nearest McDonald’s. At least, in a big company like that, they had the decency to –almost– treat their employees like living creatures. Hansol was often doing four jobs at the same time because of his coworkers, whom were too hangover to show up after a night of drinking. From his point of view, these guys were definitely going to rot in hell one day. At least he was enjoying the direct contact he shared with his customers, but it happened that even his clients were complete idiots.

“Give me a vanilla ice-cream… Now!” Shouted a football jock in his direction.

Hansol just nodded, because he knew if his mouth had opened, he would have insulted that impolite individual. He then gave the guy what he ordered. The latter rudely took the ice-cream cone from his hands without even paying. Shit went wild. The jock threw it right in his friend’s back before bursting out in a crazy laughter –what that even supposed to be funny? It made the friend in question seen red and they entered in a big fight. Several supervisors had to separate them. Hansol rubbed his temples, annoyed. It was just another normal day working at his ridiculous ice cream truck.

“Who do I owe the pleasure to see in this sunny day?”

Hansol quickly reopened his eyes to be face to face with Seungkwan. He almost choked on his own saliva. This day was indeed full of surprises, both good and bad. But this one… was a really cool one!

“What’s gotten into you? You look like a terrified bunny!” Joked his new client while leaning his elbows on the counter.

“Yeah, sorry… I didn’t think we would meet again... I mean, so soon.”

“You should treat your lifesaver with more respect!”

Hansol smirked before replying teasingly:

“As always, being an overreacting princess?”

“Wait… Is that your real name?!”

Seungkwan pointed fingers at his badge, where ‘’Vernon’’ was written.

“Yeah… It’s my American name. I’m mixed.”

Even more surprised than him, Hansol noticed that his customer was wearing joggings and white baskets. That outfit seemed so out of place since Seungkwan almost started a revolution against their last Physical education class.

“I thought you hated running?”

“Oh trust me, I still do! In fact, I joined the course because in its description, it said we were going to play basketball. Now I hate this university for lying to me like that.”

“You play basketball?!”

Hansol was speechless. It was unbelievable to discover so many fun facts about the _nerd_.

“Of course, it’s my favorite sport. I just finished a game with my good pal, Seokmin.”

The latter was waiting in line behind Seungkwan and he waved his hand to Hansol in greeting. Timidly, the employee bowed down to his new acquaintance.

“So, what can I get you guys?”

“Hum… Towels? Pretty please? I slipped on the ground and the result is not so cute to look at…”

Seungkwan showed him his hands that were scratched with bleeding areas. Promptly, Hansol went in search of bandage. Ironically, he really had strange objects in his truck, such as a first-aid kit. He then took the other’s hands and wiped the wounds delicately with a sanitizer. Seungkwan’s skin was soft, warm against his. To break the silence, the latter cleared his throat and Hansol let go of his hands, finally coming back to his senses. After thanking him, Seungkwan changed the subject:

“So… are you going to the party this weekend?”

Hansol frowned before throwing the used towel in the trash.

“The party?”

“Stop living under a rock, will you?” Said Seungkwan in an amused tone, “It was announced in the program group chat two weeks ago. You have no excuse not to show up, it’s during the weekend.”

The top student was going to a party?! Vernon was more and more shocked. He never saw him attempting the past ones… Something must have changed since then.

“The thing is… I already have plans with my friends.”

“No need to cancel,” suddenly added Seokmin, “sorry, I didn’t want to interrupt you. It’s just… everyone is welcomed at mine. _Mi casa es su casa_ , so just bring them all with you!”

Hansol’s face was completely blank after this casual invitation. That Seokmin guy was just as bright and sociable as Seungkwan. Was that even possible? How come he never socialized with those two rays of sunshine before?

“I… I will talk to them about it. Thanks again!”

“No problem, dude.”

Seungkwan slipped a quick glance to his watch.

“Well, it’s already time for us to go.”

He then looked back at Hansol, not knowing how to conclude their unexpected meeting. Hansol had an idea, serving him one of his –lame– pun.

“What can I say? Time goes by so fast in great company.”

Seungkwan addressed him another exasperated look. He was remembering Hansol of a meme, seriously. But then he cackled. Hansol wasn’t able to follow his exuberant personality, but he liked it anyways.

“See you soon!”

Hansol looked at them going away from his stand. Since his first interaction with Seungkwan, his world went upside down in such a short period of time. He was insulting the “nerd” not so long ago, and now he was praising him every time their paths crossed. He even promised himself to dress more nicely for the next time. It was strange to say, but he was kind of ashamed to be seen in those clothes in front of Seungkwan.

Hansol had never been so excited to go to a party before. There was a weird feeling going on in his tummy just by the thought of meeting Seungkwan again.


	4. My Heart Is Under Siege

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> — the party, start

Mingyu was all over the moon because of his last exchange with Jeon Wonwoo. He even started to draw him as the model in his fashion concepts. He knew he needed to chill, because acting like a six years old girl in love was not going to calm his obsessiveness, but he never felt this way since _birth_. He had accumulated a lot of previous stories before, but he had never experienced so much frustration of being separated from someone before. Worst of all, he had to wait an entire weekend before seeing him again... Life was so unfair.

Mingyu knew he was a masochist for choosing Wonwoo out of all of the other boys, but he was still hoping to have more than a one-night stand with him. And he had enough having little distractions here and there, even if it was the whole point of starting the game with Hansol, someone he was _sure_ to win over. From his point of view, Hansol was just a heterosexual and collateral damage of his machinations. He only chose his friend out of coincidence, because they were both single at the same time.

That being said, Mingyu was ready to move on to a whole new stability, in which his feelings could fully bloom, without restrictions. He didn’t want to get attached to an illusion, but for fuck’s sake, in a world so predictable, could he even dream of something so pure?!

Friday night arrived faster than expected. The last-minute change of plan made by his friends didn’t affect him at all. Although at first, he found Hansol weird to insist so much to go to Seokmin’s –who even was that dude?– instead of Chan’s. In the end, he didn’t care either ways. A party was a party and Mingyu had no intentions to finish the night in someone else’s bed, so whatever. His dick was legit non-functional if his prey wasn’t concerned in the process.

“Oh my God… There’s so much people!”

Jeonghan was right. Seungcheol had to park his jeep in the street because the parking was full. Even if most of the students used the metro to get there, many other cars had to do the same and park in the street. A bunch of people were already gathering in front of the house.

“Leo, that bastard… Why didn’t he tell us that it was going to be so insane?” Asked Chan with a big smile, mostly to himself.

The lights in the house were open to the ceiling. Music, laughs and screams were reaching them in a chaotic hubbub.

“It’s only 10 p.m. What the heck is happening?”

“Vernon is in the Social studies program… The name says it all.” Wisely highlighted Jisoo.

Mingyu looked absentmindedly at the bay windows. People were dancing and gossiping inside of the house. It was a pity that he didn’t have the motivation to join them. He simply wanted to go home and stalk Wonwoo’s profile until he fell asleep.

“Do you guys know when Hansol and Jihoon are going to show up?”

“We can never tell with these two.”

They finally got out of the jeep and headed to the front door, a hand in their pockets and the other one holding their alcohol consumption. Since Hansol wasn’t there, they were counting on Seungcheol to recognize some faces among the strangers, because his way-too-long-path in university made him quite known in there. A beer pong game was occurring in the living room and fifteen persons were cheering the players. They were so loud that it made Mingyu sighed heavily. Why was he even there to begin with?

As expected, Seungcheol, Jeonghan and Jisoo were intercepted by people they knew from sight, so Mingyu and Chan were left alone in the crowd. The abandoned friends entered the kitchen and the mood then changed drastically. It was that type of atmosphere that gave you the impression to be drunk or high even if you were clean that night. The vibe was cozy, comfortable, warm and a little bit sexy. If you were not here to meet new people, to get laid or to sell drugs, what were you even doing?

Mingyu felt his boredom slowly disappeared. He had a sudden good feeling about all this. Time seemed to go slower in here. Seconds had decided to chill, to suspend their limitless run if only for a short moment. Maybe he would finally try those pills that Jihoon had talked to him about, who knows? He was pretty sure he could find one of these in an instant. Everything was possible in such events.

Mingyu was somewhat floating among the strangers whom were more and more welcoming. At some point or another he lost Chan but it was all fine. He knew Jeonghan would scold him like a kid for losing the maknae, but it didn’t matter now. His only preoccupation was to find some brandy because he felt like he was interrupting the party with his soberness. “I should steal a couple of Seungcheol’s beers” he thought shamelessly. But he became chummy with a dealer, Minghao, and soon enough he forgot about the possibility of having a drink instead of a puff.  

Mingyu recognized the song that was playing, _Bonnie and Clyde_ by Dean, as he stole someone’s lighter. He approached the flame near the cigar he had in mouth when someone at the other end of the corridor caught his attention. He had almost dropped his cigar as his eyes went wide open.

No one else than his prey was walking towards him. 

Wonwoo definitely had an incredible sense of fashion and it was a huge turn on for Mingyu. The iceberg-man was wearing sunglasses at night, but who gave a crap when they were suiting his attitude so perfectly? His turtleneck was tight enough on his body to reveal the form of his abs. His pants had holes on the knees level and he was wearing leather shoes too. All his outfit was black and Mingyu had to bite his inferior lip not to scream. “Fuck off the puff”, he thought while dropping his cigar that was trembling a second ago.

“And… you are?”

Mingyu could have sworn Wonwoo’s blood had turned into ice the moment he saw him.

“What the fuck are you doing here?! Are you stalking me again?”

“You wish. I’m just here because of my friends.”

“That’s strange, because it implies you have some.”

Mingyu was about to present Chan to him to prove his point, but the latter had disappeared from his sight a lot time ago. Chan was rebelling so much against Jeonghan’s rules nowadays…

“They’re all gone. I guess it’s only gonna be _you and me_ from now on.”

Mingyu looked at Wonwoo up and down before coming to that conclusion: in the end, Hansol had make the best choice for him… because his prey was a whole meal in himself. Wonwoo ignored his pun and said:

“Just an advice: don’t go to the bathroom. Shady people are doing coke there.”

“I thought you were the type of guy to _experiment_ a lot.”

Wonwoo passed a hand in his hair and answered with detachment:

“No, you need to make friends in order to grab a hand on drugs like that. And I don’t like socializing that much.”

“I feel like people misunderstand you a lot. You’re more like the shy type. But don’t worry, it’s cool. I mean… I like shy guys anyways.”

Mingyu felt like he fucked up again as Wonwoo took a step back quickly. But at the same time, he found that his prey’s reaction was filled with much panic. But why? He would need to figure it out, because his gaydar was telling him to pursue this teasing discussion.

Mingyu smirked. It was only the beginning of the night...

***

New comers were more and more numerous. Their arrival really had no impact at this point of the night, everyone was being super welcoming and they soon started to mix up in one big crowd. Fortunately for everyone, the neighbors were still minding their own business, mostly because Seokmin gave to each of them a small amount of money in exchange of this crazy gathering. Hansol and Jihoon just showed up together, impressed by the amount of students reunited between four walls and a shitload of illegal substances.

Once inside the house, someone put his arm around Hansol's shoulders in a friendly manner.

“D’you wanna hear a secret, bro?”

Hansol turned his head to see that a very drunk Seokmin was asking him that question. It could be nice to share a conversation with the sunshine guy again!

“Yeah, tell me!”

“The best parties I’ve ever attempted were made by lifeguards and nurses.”

“Oh… Why is that?”

“Cause they can reanimate you if you ever pass out from alcohol poisoning.”

“Right, I’ve never thought about it... What about doctors then?”

“That's even better... They all have access to the best drugs on the market.”

“How do you know that?

Seokmin placed one of his fingers on his mouth to shush Hansol. He then murmured:

"I study in Medicine myself."

Seokmin drank to that before saying out of nowhere:

“Anyways, you look like a good guy. But you better take care of Seungkwan…”

Hansol felt his heart fluttered by the mention of the nerd in such an allusion. Seokmin then walked away as Hansol thought that Seungkwan maybe was in the same room as him. He then started to search him with Jihoon on the heels. They ended up in the basement, where weird things were happening again. On one side, people were playing Strip Blackjack, and obviously a winner was soon to be announced because no one was really dressed anymore. On the other side, a group of hype people were doing karaoke.

Both sides were questionable but Hansol still preferred to join the ones who were singing, especially because his prey was there. He sat down on the comfortable couch before giving a slap on Seungkwan’s thigh. The latter screamed in surprise, but then he smiled playfully by meeting Hansol again.

“You missed me that much, American boy?”

“What do you think? There’s a reason why I’m attempting this party.”

Seungkwan looked away in shyness and he changed the subject by introducing himself to Jihoon. The three of them had a little talk before the previous song was over. Then, Hansol and Seungkwan were pushed out of the couch, where they had to perform “All I do” by Monsta X.

“I’m going to completely ruin the meaning with my voice. I’m not good at singing…”

Seungkwan passed a hand in Hansol’s back as the latter felt sudden goosebumps.

“Give yourself a chance. It’s not a competition…”

Hansol then thought, “If only you knew…” Afterwards, they started to sing in duo, and immediately their chemistry impressed their small public. To add humor to it, they also added some theatrical gestures while signing the cheesy lyrics. Even though they were just playing around, Hansol liked their acting and the deep eye contacts they shared. After a song or two, they were laughing so much that Hansol couldn't perform anymore. So Seungkwan took the lead, not minding to be in charge of the karaoke alone. Only then, Hansol could notice how good the other's voice actually was at it.

His amusement was slowly replaced with fascination. Hansol wondered, how was it possible to hide such talent behind a top student mask? Seungkwan was full of surprises, no longer the nerd he knew from before. Hansol got back to his initial spot next to Jihoon as the public was applauding the signer for another high note.

“Dude, I don’t know who that guy is, but he’s so down for you.”

If Hansol was captvated a few seconds ago, his eyes went wide by hearing his friend’s sentence. Jihoon designated Seungkwan with a chin movement as Hansol exploded in laughter. It seemed like Jihoon was morphing into a love specialist under the influence of alcohol and it was hella funny!

“What are you even saying? I can tell you're not clean...”

“Bro, I only had a few beers. I'm not even high...”

"But still, you drank."

Jihoon looked at his friend with a sardonic smile, noticing by Hansol's voice tone that he just tugged at his heartstring.

“But, speaking of which, I'll go see Minghao.”

Jihoon got up as Hansol felt stressful to be left alone with his prey.

“You should go for it. He's cute.”

His friend then walked away as Hansol was more lost than ever. Jihoon was encouraging him to get him?! He bit his lips as he locked eyes with Seungkwan again, who was still performing in the center. Time slowed down as Hansol felt his body fell deeper onto the couch. 

Were there actual chances that he could win the game? If yes, why were there butterflies in his stomach at that very thought?


	5. The Gates of Heaven

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- the party, second part

Seungkwan took pity of Hansol who was left alone, so he proposed him to spend the party together, which Hansol accepted of course. They talked about everything and nothing on the couch, when the song _Hyeya_ by Jonghyun started to play at the karaoke. Seungkwan frowned and admitted that, even though he was a sucker for sad songs, that one was something he couldn’t bear to listen to because of the deep meaning behind it. Hansol found that it was a shame to cut their interesting discussion, but he still had to agree. To their delight, they were then invited to a shot pong game that was about to occur on the first floor.

“Would you mind drinking the shots for me? I’m not truly a fan…” Asked Seungkwan as they were going upstairs.

“Sure!”

They were surprised to see how many persons were now present at the party. It was more than disorderly, it could have legit been compared to hell. No wonder why so much people were drunk or to the verge of passing out. Hansol then heard his name being called somewhere in the crowd and soon enough Jisoo was standing in front of him.

“Vernon, help me. I found Chan in a car hotbox with some Junhui guy? And Jihoon was popping MD outside with a stranger… Jeonghan and Seungcheol are doing some non-Catholic things in a room and what the fuck is even happening?!”

Hansol sighed and passed a hand on his neck, not knowing what to tell him.

“Let’s call it a day, okay? I’m not sure we can do anything about what is going on right now…”

“You’re right… I just need a drink.”

The teams were composed of Hansol and Seungkwan versus Jisoo and Seokmin. Then, Seungkwan had to grab Hansol by the waist to move him a bit in order to make the first shot. Hansol noticed that his prey was touchier at this point of the night, so more comfortable around him, which was great. Overall their game was really fun, except for Hansol who had to drink all the shots. He let go the idea of swallowing the last one as Jisoo and Seokmin won. They laughed from the beginning until the very end and that was the only thing that mattered. Seungkwan gave Hansol a friendly hug to say good game, but the latter didn’t know how to react, so he just stood there and waited for them to separate.

“I wasn’t going to bite you, American boy… Don’t be so tensed!”

His prey laughed as Hansol grinned at that sentence before answering:

“Do you really think it would have been a problem?”

Seungkwan raised his eyebrows in surprise as Hansol realized his own words. Maybe it would have been a better idea to simply shut up, especially when being so drunk now. But instead of taking it seriously, Seungkwan just ruffled his hair and chuckled.

“You’re impossible, Vernon…”

For some reason, Hansol was not happy with the fact that Seungkwan was thinking of it as a joke. Alcohol was definitely influencing his thoughts, but his pride was hurt. When was the last time someone actually refused one of his advance?

“Impossible to flirt with, you meant?”

Seunkwan bit his lower lip in a seductive yet ridiculous manner as Hansol couldn’t handle the cringiness of that sight. They cackled before his prey said:

“I’m about to suffocate in here. I know Seokmin’s house like my own... There’s a place I would really want to go.”

“Show me!”

Seungkwan passed by Hansol and made sure to take him by the hand as he guided him through the house. They went to the third floor which was currently used as an attic, where nobody else was in. A bull’s-eye window was giving a view on the outside. Seungkwan leaned on it and glanced at the sky in awe. It was rare to have such a fantastic view because of the smog that was normally covering the city. That night, they were lucky enough to see how beautiful the stars were. Only then, Seungkwan let go of his hand. Hansol admired this majestic scene a little bit more, noticing that his hand was cold without the one of Seungkwan in his.

“I never saw you at the previous parties. Why is that?”

Seungkwan turned his head to look at him and smiled softly. Hansol could tell it was a forced one, so his heart ached at the sight.

“I know that some of the students talk in my back among our program. So being called a nerd isn’t what would make me go to events.”

Hansol felt a lump in his throat. He was indeed one of the people who was judging him without knowing his persona. All he could say in response was:

“I’m so sorry…”

Seungkwan lifted his hands up and explained in a hurry:

“Don’t be, Vernon, it has nothing to do with you! You’re the reason why I stayed for so long, actually…”

Hansol felt relieved but at the same time he felt bad for lying to him. There was a moment of silence before Seunkwan pursued:

“I just thought I could do it… But I can’t.”

“Do what?”

“Going to this party… I shouldn’t have.”

“Was there someone who talked shit about you?”

Hansol approached him in a protective manner, but still stayed at a proper distance, not wanting to invade the other male’s personal space.

“No, it has no correlation, so don’t you worry. I’m just used to smile through the pain…”

Hansol’s glass felt heavier in his hand. The guilt of drinking in a circumstance where he could have been a more efficient help for someone was weighing on him. He wished to be ten times sober, but all he could do at this point was to put his drink on the ground.

“Hey, I may not be the perfect confident, but I can still listen.”

They shared another eye-contact as Hansol’s knees weakened. There was something about his prey’s look that was constantly making him lose contact with reality.

“Well, I mean, I don’t know where to start... We were a trio before, with Seokmin, who you’ve already met, and a guy named Soonyoung. They were my two rocks, but things have changed.”

Seungkwan looked down at his feet and Hansol anticipated the following.

“Now Seokmin is my only friend, basically.”

Hansol frowned, hurt a little.

“Wait… if we’re not friends, then what are we?”

It wasn’t a part of Hansol’s plan of seduction to ask that, but judging by the way Seungkwan looked back at him, it surely had given him that impression. Hansol felt his ears burning for speaking so shamelessly, but waiting for the truth was driving him crazy. Why did he even care so much?

“That’s a good question. I’m not entirely sure who you are to me…”

Now Hansol was really concerned and anxious, so he just wanted to lighten the mood:

“I bet you just see me as the headless chicken from Gym class…”

Hansol’s voice was playful because he didn’t wanted the other male to know how much he was craving for an actual answer.

“Sometimes it’s better to just go with the flow anyways.”

Seungkwan nodded in amusement. But sadness, or something close to nostalgia, soon appeared on his face again.

“True. You can never tell what will happen to the people around you.”

“And what happened? With that Soonyoung guy?”

Seungkwan looked at the stars pensively, like they could give him the courage to speak up again.

“From what I recall, Soonyoung was… a passionate. When he found something he liked, he could pass hours of doing the same thing over and over again. You should have seen him dance!”

Seungkwan’s forced smile faded completely.

“But even the simpliest of things can turn into addictions. And sometimes you want to change someone so much that in the end, you’re the one who changed the most.”

Seungkwan’s eyes were shining in pain at the moment, being perfect traps for little galaxies. Hansol was speechless, ignoring what to feel between grief and compassion, and even more where that discussion was heading.

“So the day he died from alcohol poisoning, I promised myself not to drink ever again.”

Hansol’s stomach dropped and his breathing momentarily stopped. So that was it, the truth hidden in oblivion. Hansol could now understand everything, from Seungkwan absence at parties, the _Hyeya_ song to his obsession with school. It was all about forgetting everything related to this traumatic event. His sorrow was real for months and nobody was aware of it.

“I can’t believe Seokmin still wants to be by my side. I was a horrible friend since then…”

Hansol couldn’t just let things how they were, knowing that Seungkwan was out there suffering alone. A little birdy was telling him to react, so he did. He took Seungkwan by both shoulders and forced him to look right into his eyes. Seunkgwan gulped, noticing the latter’s serious face.

“Don’t say that. You’re a fighter, an amazing friend to even go to school after that. I wish I could be as strong as you are.”

Seungkwan blushed slightly before closing his eyes painfully. But them he shook his head, like he was keeping something for himself, and changed the subject.

“I’m sorry, I surely broke the party for you. I should just go. I don’t even know why I told you all this…”

Hansol cupped with both hands Seugkwan’s face, which was slowly turning red. For Hansol, there was nobody else who mattered at that moment. He would have saved Seungkwan from this circle of self-hatred if he could do it by himself.

“Hey, don’t be. My night was super cool, alright? Even this little talk was awesome, so I regret nothing.”

Seungkwan intertwined their fingers together. Hansol’s heart jumped in his chest by feeling the other’s skin against his. But somehow his muscles loosened, like their proximity was meant to be. He was just so confused with his body reactions.

“Thanks for the support, Vernon. I truly… truly appreciate it.”

But Hansol couldn’t help but feeling guilty for his past behaviour again. He didn’t deserve to be considered so much by someone he was insulting not so long ago. His heart was aching just by the thought of it.

“I’m not providing you any… The only bad friend here, is me.”

He separated their fingers and Seungkwan frowned confused. He had a bad feeling by hearing that sentence.

“W-What do you mean?”

Hansol looked down at his own feet, ashamed and regretful.

“To be fully honest with you, I also thought… that you weren’t a good person to be friends with. I was stupid back then, so I wanted to apologize for that.”

Hansol fiddled his fingers, alcohol making his vision blurry. He had no idea why he was admitting that. Normally he would have kept that for himself and pretended that it never happened, for the sake of the competition he was currently having. But now, he wasn’t even thinking of the game anymore. He just didn’t want to win it if it implied to lie to Seungkwan… It wasn’t worth the disappointment against himself, nor taking advantage of the situation.

“Why the long face, American boy?”

Hansol frowned and looked up to see Seungkwan’s face that was illuminated by a real smile this time.

“We all make mistakes. You had the courage to tell me, so don’t be sorry about it anymore.”

Hansol couldn’t help but thinking that the other male was too comprehensive, too kind, too funny, too everything. Seungkwan had a difficult time not so long ago and he was still trying to please Seokmin by coming to his party. His presence was a gift to everyone who were taking the time to enter in conversation with him. Also, he had that golden bum of his! What more could Hansol have asked for?

“I made you drink a lot tonight, which isn’t the best idea but… I hope I will have more opportunities to get in touch with you, Vernon.”

Seungkwan then approached his face closer to Hansol’s as the latter one froze. He felt a soft kiss being pressed on his cheek before a shy Seungkwan was already back to his initial spot. Blushing, he told Hansol that he was going to drive back home and left the other male alone in the attic in a matter of seconds. Hansol passed a hand on his cheek, feeling his heart pounding like crazy, not sure if that moment really happened or if he was only living the dream.

He glanced at the stars outside. It wasn’t a real kiss, but Hansol didn’t care. Maybe he didn’t win the competition, but instead he knew he just won something even greater than that. And the last sentence of Seungkwan was not only a wish, but a promise.

 


	6. Shattered Glass Veins

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> \- the party, final

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wanted to publish the party in one chapter at first, but I figured it was too long so I split it in three parts! (^.^)/
> 
> Don't be shy to leave me comments, loves xx

Mingyu was on the second floor, sitting on the ground with a bunch of people, the music from the first floor still being able to reach them in the distance. He was observing Wonwoo from the corner of the eye while they were playing poker. His prey loving these gambling games, he followed him like a puppy, wishing to be noticed by him at some point or another. Wonwoo was just so beautiful when he was focused on something, his eyebrows slightly frowning, serving a threatening attitude to his opponents. He had let go of his glasses and his eyes seemed ever darker than usual. In an instant, these black orbs were staring at Mingyu who jumped when being caught.

“Why are you always smiling like an idiot?” His prey murmured.

“What about my smile?” Mingyu passed his tongue on the tips of his canines. “Does it make you… _nervous_?”

Wonwoo scoffed in response.

“Nope, it makes me want to puke.”

“Soooo it makes you weak, at some extend.”

“I beg to differ, you’re searching too far.”

“Oh, so does my smile simply makes you melt?”

That had earned Mingyu a punch to the arm. But even there he couldn’t stop himself from laughing. He knew Wonwoo was not prepared to bear with his bad puns. So Mingyu leaned closer to Wonwoo, sensing that the other male tensed at the same time.

“You could simply tell me that you’re dom material, instead of punishing me for taking control.”

Wonwoo shivered despite him before glaring at the other almost angrily.

“Get the fuck away from me with your kinky shit.”

But to his grand dismay, Mingyu had just started to play.

“You’re rapid to swear. Should I teach you some good manners? Although we’ll need to find a room for that…”

That was the stroke that broke the camel as Wonwoo threw his cards in the center and left the game without saying anything to the rest of the players. Mingyu’s smile widened, as he noticed that Wonwoo’s neck was covered with a blush as he was going away. Definitely, not actually dating him started to be frustrating, but Wonwoo was someone he needed to work harder to get…

Mingyu got up too and went to the room opposed to where he was. He popped his head in to see the surroundings. The large room was used as a fancy library, where very high shelves were exposing all sorts of dictionaries, books and maps. “That Seokmin dude must be rich…” He noted while entering the space. The contrast with the big amount of people who were partying on the inside was brilliant. As Mingyu spotted his prey once again and he couldn’t resist the envy to get closer to him. He leaned on the wall next to him, as his prey sighed loudly.

“Will you ever get tired of following me?”

“You’re too cute for that, Wonwoo.”

Wonwoo closed his eyes, already done with that shit.

“For you weirdo, it will be Sir Jeon and nothing else.”

Remembering that Wonwoo was one year older than him, Mingyu grinned and proposed:

“Perhaps, I can call you _oppa_?”

Wonwoo choked on his soju by hearing that and he turned his blushing face away. Mingyu was proud of that one and contained the urge of saying another one. He was so into the iceberg-man that he had the impression that the latter was the most precious pearl in the world for him. Wonwoo then regained his I-don’t-give-a-fuck attitude and addressed that sentence to his number one fan:

“Go get the girl who’s devouring you already, Casanova, and let me alone.”

Mingyu slipped a glance full of detachment to the dancing crowd, where there was indeed someone who was obviously waiting for him to join the party. He smirked.

“I’m not interested in _girls_ right now… I’m already enjoying some great company.”

Mingyu moved slightly closer to Wonwoo, feeling their shoulders brushing together. The song _Retro Future_ by Triple H then started to play. Mingyu asked him if he liked the current groove, which Wonwoo answered that it was not his usual type of music, being a fan of classical, but he still liked it.

“Do you play any instrument?”

“I have piano lessons at the university, but I’m not the best.”

“Do you have dancing lessons too?”

“No… why?”

“I was about to propose you to.”

“You’re crazy.”

Mingyu faced Wonwoo again and before he stole the drink in his hand and said:

“Crazy in love, maybe.”

Without waiting for his prey to reply to his cheesy pun, Mingyu grabbed him by the sleeve of his turtleneck with the other hand and brought him to the middle of the room. Everyone were now very close to each other, the temperature was way hotter, and so was their proximity. The iceberg-man was obviously uncomfortable to feel the frictions of their thighs, but he was still pretending very hard that it didn’t bother him. After a while, they were pushed by accident by other dancers, resulting in their noses touching each other’s. Moving his weight from one foot to the other, Wonwoo finally exploded in embarrassment:

“Ya! Stop looking at me with those eyes! They’re telling me exactly what your intentions are…”

Unfortunately for Wonwoo, it encouraged Mingyu to detail him with his eyes even more. The taller one approached the other male even closer, adoring the fact that nobody else was aware of the sensual tension going on between them. Wonwoo’s hot breath was irregular on his collarbone.

“And what might they be?”

Wonwoo closed his mouth shut as Mingyu whispered to his ear:

“No need to answer. Sometimes body language speak louder than words…”

His voice was barely audible because of the music, but just enough for Wonwoo to hear it. A shiver ran through the iceberg-man’s body, alcohol intoxicating him from head to toes now. The only things he was still conscious of were the people around them, and the fact that Mingyu and he were playing a dangerous game.

Finishing the soju, it was Mingyu’s turn to feel the sweet liquid going down his throat. He then wanted to throw the green bottle somewhere. It wasn’t like someone minded the mess around them anyways and, in fact, he wanted to participate in that psychedelic environment too. But the moment he turned his head to see Wonwoo again, he noticed that the latter had already left the dancefloor, and even the room in which they were both in a minute before.

“Again?!” He screamed for himself before getting out of the library in a hurry, almost tripping in his own shoes. Has he noticed, Wonwoo was coming down the stairs with as much urgency.

“Wait!”

For once, Wonwoo accepted to wait for him in the middle of the stairs. As Mingyu joined him, the iceberg-man asked coldly:

“What’s the reason of all this, seriously?”

Mingyu frowned and Wonwoo had a sarcastic laugh in return.

“Don’t pretend like you don’t understand. You suddenly appear out of nowhere and you’re being all flirty and stuff…”

Mingyu bit his lip and looked down. How could he explain to the iceberg-man that these days, the game had nothing to do with his behaviour, but it all started with that same competition? It was true that he wanted to be more than friends with him, no matter what the result of the game would be. But either ways, it sounded bad to tell Wonwoo.

“Where do I start…?”

“Start with the fact that you’re the most popular guy in school and now you’re paying attention to a loser. See? You can tell that something is wrong.”

Wonwoo’s voice tone was dry and heavy with reprimands. Only then Mingyu noticed that a simple game could hurt the preys who were let in the unknown. Also, the iceberg-man was far from being a loser, what was he speculating? Mingyu had to think twice before opening his mouth again:

“The most popular guy in school? Wonwoo, I had no idea that you knew me before I went to talk to you after the basketball game... Thanks for the compliment, but I’m not known at all.”

“Yes you are, and it bugs me.”

Wonwoo seemed to regret what he just said. Mingyu had to lean his back on the wall, trying to understand what the other male was implying. He shook his head, the soju hitting him like a train at that moment.

“Okay, let’s imagine that I was popular, why would you care?”

“You didn’t answer my question so don’t expect me to do it. I asked you if you were playing with me!”

“Aish, it’s not that easy,” Mingyu stated before passing a hand on his neck, “I did start a game with a friend, but…”

“That’s it, I’m leaving.”

Mingyu refusing to see the iceberg-man disappear, he grabbed him with force by the waist and locked their eyes together.

“It was only at the beginning. Now, I want you regardless of that stupid competition.”

Wonwoo pushed Mingyu against the wall, rage darkening his orbs.

“What do you want to prove that much? That you’re the greatest asshole on the planet?”

Wonwoo had an ironic smile but disappointment and other emotions were filling his eyes.

“Congrats! You won.”

Mingyu passed a tongue on his lower lip before admitting:

“You’re right, I’m an asshole. But I was searching for a way to accept who I am for years. I’ve been trying to refrain some of my attractions in the past… I’ve always been playing on a thin line but I never crossed it… Do you know what I mean by that?”

Wonwoo squinted his eyes, a little bit less frustrated.

“What have you been waiting for?”

Mingyu looked into Wonwoo’s eyes again and finally authorized himself to discover what was behind that damn border.

“You.”

They quickly stopped speaking as people climbed up the stairs, interrupting their conversation by the same occasion. Afterwards, an awkward silence settled between them. Obviously this wasn’t the right place to explain themselves, but they _needed_ to finish it.

“Should we move this to somewhere more adequate?”

Wonwoo glared at him but nodded. He guided Mingyu to the first floor, ignoring the people who tried to talk to them. Many of them were avoiding doing it by seeing how pissed off Wonwoo looked like anyways. Once they reached the bathroom, Wonwoo entered it and kicked out the people who were high on cocaine.

“What y’all are up to?” Asked one of those persons annoyed.

“We’re gonna fight.”

Alarmed by such a declaration, they closed the door behind them as Wonwoo locked it. There was so much conviction in the iceberg-man’s actions that Mingyu truly had the impression that they were going to punch each other.

Except that, the lips that were smashed against his a second later proved that the only fight was going to be between their two mouths.

So Mingyu’s lips join the dance with as much urge as his partner’s. With both hands he grabbed Wonwoo by the hips and instinctively dug his nails in to pull him closer. The kiss was deep, soppy, and it was driving them both crazy. His own tongue slid into the Wonwoo’s mouth in search of its twin. Their tongues then met as their bodies approached each other’s even more. Mingyu bit the iceberg-man’s lower lip, as the latter moaned in his mouth in delight. Mingyu felt a hand on his neck as the other one was busy reaching his ass. Damn, Wonwoo wasn’t going easy on him… And he wasn’t here to complain.

Not containing his repressed thoughts anymore, Mingyu broke the kiss and decided he had enough being submissive as he pushed Wonwoo to the nearest wall. Then, he lifted up the other male by the thighs, his strong arms now supporting Wonwoo’s weight. The legs of the other male were astride his body, so they could taste each other’s lips again. Unfortunately, they had no time to pursue this interesting interaction as they heard someone knocking violently to the door.   

“Both of you, come out!!” They heard someone scream.

Wonwoo cursed and they separated rapidly before he explained: “It’s my friend Junhui… He probably thinks we were really gonna fight.”

“What are we gonna say?!”

The iceberg-man shook his head and took a deep breath out.

“We entered a fight, alright? This is what happened.”

Mingyu was astonished by that answer but at the same time, did they really have another option in those circumstances? Except for the discreet presence of the pheromones in the bathroom, no one could actually knew what really happened between these four walls. Their hair looked like bird nests, their shirts were messy, and it hurt Mingyu to pretend it was all fake. He had no time to disagree before the iceberg-man opened the door.

Four persons burst into the small room: Jihoon, Chan, the dealer who Mingyu met before and a stranger the latter assumed was Junhui. Things went messy. Being the protective friend he was, Chan immediately went to cover Mingyu, using his body as a shield, as Minghao went to take care of Wonwoo. But Junhui and Jihoon were not that passive. Junhui looked very intimidating as he shouted to Mingyu out of anger:

“If I see you around him again, I’ll kill you!”

“Don’t you dare talking to him like that!” Replied Jihoon before taking Junhui by the collar of his shirt.

“Please stop!” Begged Chan before closing his eyes.

“He’s the only responsible!” Junhui insisted between clenched teeth.

Chan had to contain Jihoon from destroying that pretty face before the other trio went away. Witnesses of the drama started to gather in the corridor. Mngyu started to understand his surroundings as the alcohol diluted in his veins because of his sudden adrenaline rush. He didn’t know what to feel, but he decided to be proud and childishly happy for the turn of events with his prey instead of focusing on the negative.

“We’re leaving.” Concluded Jihoon with a voice tone that left no room for opposition.

Mingyu simply followed his friends to the exit of the house. Passing by the living room, he had a last eye-contact with Wonwoo who was surrounded by his two guardians. He gave him a final smirk but Wonwoo’s face stayed blank.

“Don’t look at him,” instructed a nervous Chan.  

They left the chaotic house as one thought traversed his mind. If the idea of kissing a guy was a fucking turn-on for Mingyu before that event, hooking up with Wonwoo in person had been a goddamn _revelation_.


	7. Superstition

The temperature outside was pleasant, sunny yet windy, but had nothing to do with the atmosphere that the group of friends was sharing at their usual spot. That day, the hill next to their university was very animated by their discussion. In fact, Mingyu was about to throw a fist at Hansol’s grinning face just now.

“Hansol, fucking admit it: we both won.”

Hansol served him another smirk when Mingyu was being held back in place by Seungcheol and Jisoo, preventing the taller one from beating his friend to death. 

“Excuse me, I just can’t hear you with my aura of winner…” Teased Hansol, putting the back of his hand on his forehead in a dramatic manner.

“Don’t push him to the edge,” warned Chan before shaking his head.

“A fight, a fight!” Encouraged Jihoon before receiving a slap behind the head by Jeonghan.

“And I’m being fair right now,” added Mingyu, threatening. “My previous making-out session was so much better than what you’ve got!”

“Who’s plan was to ever start that thing?” Asked Seungcheol, exhausted.

“Who do you think, other than Kim _I-don’t-want-to-admit-I’m-wrong_ Mingyu?” Pursued Hansol, acting all innocent. “I can already taste the jajangmyeong…”

His competitor glanced back at him angrily.

“That’s it, I’m gonna kick your ass…”

Kids bickered for a few minutes before Jisoo calmed the majority of the tensions. It was more than rare to see Mingyu so frustrated and Jeonghan jumped on the opportunity to make them shut up.

“Fine, you both won the game, alright? We can’t judge which one was quicker since it all happened the same night. Now, the most important point to know is, which story will actually lead to something?”

That was a cheap shot from the mother of the group, but it was much needed. Mingyu had no other choice than to look down at his feet, knowing that he couldn’t add anything more in this case. Hansol bit his lower lip too. It made him think about considering his friend’s feelings first.

“Look, Mingyu, I’m sorry…”

But the latter was not going to swallow his pride yet, nor accepting the truth.

“Don’t be. I was about to convince Wonwoo to make it official anyways,” Mingyu lied shamelessly. “So don’t act like you already won!”

That being said, an annoyed Mingyu left his friends and headed to the university. He knew that no one was actually believing him –he couldn’t even believe himself, but he wanted to try something instead of being hurt for no reason. He couldn’t even digest the fact that Wonwoo was ignoring his texts since then, so he wanted to seek for an explanation.

“I’m going to prove them wrong, I’m going to prove them wrong…” He repeated mentally, giving himself some confidence before entering the school, a small pout deforming his face.

Once inside, he realised how complicated it might be to spot Wonwoo in here. The university was enormous and divided into a thousand of rooms and corridors. It was exactly like looking for a needle in a haystack. So Mingyu had to think, where could he find his crush in this labyrinth?

He had a sudden illumination before going to a precise place. He stopped before the school’s theater and noticed that the doors were closed. He approached them before they started to open. Rapidly, he jumped to the side so the persons who were about to leave would not see him. A bunch of musicians came out, instruments in hand, as his eyes spot the subject of his anxiety. Minyu’s heart flustered as Wonwoo was walking away, saying goodbye to some friends, including Junhui and Minghao. His chance was now or never.

He caught up with the iceberg-man. Wonwoo looked at him with curiosity before jumping in surprise, definitely not expecting that it would be the guy he made out with the weekend before.

“Hum… How was your piano lesson?”

But without any surprise, Wonwoo answered nothing and walked faster. Worst: he kept that stone-cold face of him, now that they were possibly surrounded by witnesses. Not wanting to see the same situation happen twice, Mingyu blocked Wonwoo with his arm. The latter finally stopped and clenched his teeth.

“If I may ask, what the fuck are you doing?”

Mingyu then remembered why he was called the iceberg-man, as his voice was as cold as one. The difference was that now, he knew that it was only a mask. Mingyu had enough playing games.

“We need to talk.”

Wonwoo frowned and glared at Mingyu. The taller one gulped but still kept the eye-contact with his previous prey, which was a big achievement for him.

“There is nothing more to say.”

Wonwoo then pushed the arm that was in his way and continued to walk like nothing happened. Mingyu’s chest was hurting, understanding that it was a mistake to think that they could have a polite talk without facing any difficulty.  

“If that thing we shared was nothing, then why are you avoiding me since then?!”

Wonwoo looked around them in panic, highly self-conscious. He then groaned and faced Mingyu, wanting the other one to shush down.

“Fine,” he murmured. “We were drunk, it was a party, so shit obviously happened.”

Mingyu was truly insulted and he sarcastically laughed in return.  

“I beg your pardon? That’s what you call a kiss?”

Wonwoo nodded and added in a provocative tone:

“I should never have done it. Now get over it!”

Mingyu felt anger boiling in him. He would have left things like that, if only he didn’t notice the twitch in Wonwoo’s eyes. He wondered, was that fear? He then started to slowly understand what the real matter was.

“This might be personal but,” continued Mingyu while raising an eyebrow, “are you acting like this simply because I’m a guy?”

By seeing how Wonwoo’s eyes widened, Mingyu knew he had been right. He sighed heavily as his wrath completely faded. He put his hands on his own hips, realising they indeed just reached a dead end.

“Listen, I’m not here to force you into anything. I wanted to make things clear between us and I guess I just did.”

Mingyu passed a hand on his neck, knowing that he couldn’t do anything more at this point. If Wonwoo had problems with dealing with his sexuality, the worst thing he could do was to insist. That was not what he wanted, at all. Also, it would only hurt them both if he chose to stay in the background in such circumstances.

“Just know that everything that I said the other night was true.”

Mingyu felt a lump in his throat as he concluded with:

“Despite what you might think, you were not just another kiss for me.”

Mingyu wasn’t able to analyze Wonwoo’s face at the moment. But it didn’t matter, nor did it have anything to do with him anymore. At least he was feeling lighter after saying what he wanted to. Even though his feelings were still intense, he preferred to cut it at this point, not risking to be hurt more. And someday a small flaw in his patience would have make him want to get closer to Wonwoo again, so the possibility of staying friends was not a good idea.

He knew that his dream of dating the iceberg-man was all about a childish fantasy.

“Farewell, Jeon Wonwoo… I promise I won’t bother you again.”

The moment Mingyu turned on his heels, his face fell. He didn’t want Wonwoo to see how vulnerable he actually was when taking that decision, but at least he was respecting his own feelings. His whole was aching on the inside, especially his rib cage as long time no see feelings were raising there. “I will not cry, I will not cry…” He tried to convince himself out loud, knowing that the iceberg-man didn’t follow him. All he wanted to do now was to go home and eat ice-cream while crying.

Or at least, he thought that Wonwoo was not right behind him, hearing everything with much shyness. But the moment he felt someone grabbing him by the sleeve firmly, Mingyu knew he just made a fool of himself.

“Don’t.” Mingyu heard as his heart started to pound ten times faster than usual. Was he dreaming? Was he?! Wonwoo then lowered his head to avoid eye-contact.

“The reason why I said your popularity bugs me, it was because I… I had a crush on you for a long time.”

Mingyu couldn’t trust his own sight nor his sense of hearing when Wonwoo, ears obviously red from blushing, was the one holding him back and confessing him that.

“I always thought I had no chances, but the truth is… I don’t want to let you go now.”

Mingyu was flabbergasted, wanting to reply but his words were like stuck in his throat. But that wasn’t the most surprising part. Wonwoo was obviously embarrassed, but more importantly, one of his lip was half curled.

“Stop the mannequin challenge, idiot.”

Mingyu's hands were suddenly sweaty... Wonwoo was _smiling_ _back at him_.

“I think I just died,” simply answered Mingyu, his mind not functioning correctly yet.

“Good thing. I’ll go dance next to your grave.”

Wonwoo passed by him as Mingyu was still paralyzed. Only his eyes were able to follow the other student. His way of thoughts wasn’t.

“Tonight, right after the basketball game… I’ll wait for you.” Wonwoo promised and walked away without even looking back.

The world was now upside down. At this point, Mingyu was a living mess and he needed to sit down directly on the floor not to pass out. Some students who were passing by stared at him, but he couldn’t care less… It was the most beautiful day of his entire life.

Nobody else than Jeon Wonwoo accepted to see him again.

***

Hansol slipped a glance to Jihoon, then to Mingyu. Shit. His two partners were being blocked by Seokmin and Seungcheol. Hansol had to forget about doing a pass. Fine. He sprinted while dribbling, approaching more and more his goal: the basketball hoop. But Hansol missed an important point of the game, a furtive opponent who was hiding in the shadows a second before. Out of nowhere, the ball has been stolen from him. He gulped before turning around, seeing Seungkwan running in the opposite direction. People shouted at them with a passion:

“Run, run, run!!”

“Hurry the fuck up!”

Determined to win, everyone changed their positions from attack to defense and vice-versa. As fast as a bolt, Seungkwan broke the opposing team’s defense. Seungkwan passed the ball to Seungcheol as Mingyu tried to intercept it but failed. It was too late for them. Seokmin headed closer to the hoop and just had to do a little jump to make the ball enter it, Jihoon nor Hansol being able to catch up with him. Jisoo then announced the end of the match as people were screaming either their joy or disappointment out.

The winners then gathered in the middle of the field, doing a hug together. The losers, Hansol, Mingyu and Jihoon went to wipe their faces, very tired. They were not used to lose, but it was setting them a new goal for the next time, which was motivating at the same time. As Hansol looked up at his friend, he noticed that Mingyu still kept a weird smile on his face.

“What’s so funny?”

“Seems like I have a date in a few minutes.” Mingyu confessed cheerfully. “Told you I was about to make it official…”

The taller one then lifted a hand up to Hansol.

“Now, are we even?”

Speechless, Hansol shook their hands, feeling the problems between them completely disappear. So Mingyu really was dating the iceberg-man now? He was amazed and happy by the turn of events. Breaking the silence, Jihoon asked in confusion in their backs, mostly to himself:

“Why are all my friends gay?”

Hansol smirked and grabbed his sport bag before answering:

“Don’t you know the saying? _Birds of a feather flock together_ …”

Before Jihoon would kill him, he hurried to meet Seungkwan at the other side of the field, a gummy smile on his face. He said a quick hello to Seokmin, not wanting to be rude with his boyfriend’s best friend. He then hugged Seungkwan from behind, feeling his heart melting inside of him. He was enjoying the overwhelming passion they were experiencing as a new couple.

What was amazing was also the fact that, since they were living somewhere where skin ship between males was considered normal, they didn’t risk rumors to be created for cuddling in public. They were both fine with the idea of keeping things between them private for the moment.

“Babyyyy,” Hansol whined, “you broke my heart after stealing the ball from me today. Kiss me to repair the damages.”

Knowing that Hansol was half-kidding, Seungkwan laughed at this childish demand and highlighted:

“Do I need to remind you that we stink in the meantime? Get off me, honey.”

“No.”

“Vernon, please.”

“No.”

“Vernon, I’m begging you...”

“Alright…”

Seungkwan rolled his eyes. He could almost hear the pout in his lover’s voice. But in reality he was very fond of his soft side. Hansol’s insecurity showed up sometimes, proving that he was caring for him. Hansol had the bad habit of wondering if he was good enough, even if he totally was. And Seungkwan wanted to show him that he was way more than just enough. He added cheerfully:

“I’ll treat you to dinner. But before that, let’s go take a shower, babe.”

Hansol chuckled and locked their arms together, happily heading back to the gym with all the others. Hansol was on a cloud nine since they officialised their couple. It didn’t take long actually. After the party, they had another date at the park and _boom!_ they were together. He could only shrug his shoulders at this… Some things were meant to be. But if someone would have told him that he would pass from being a player to a committed flower boy after meeting Seungkwan, he would have laughed for hours. Now, Hansol was welcoming new feelings and embracing change by Seungkwan’s side.

A funny atmosphere settled in the locker room as the basketball players changed themselves in. Great news, Seungkwan and Seokmin joined Hansol’s group of friends after they announced being in couple. New friendships were being creating and that surprising combination made everyone super happy.

Mingyu also had the idea of introducing Wonwoo and his friends to them, but only once the dust between the two squads would have settled down. But he was positive that Wonwoo’s friends were only protective because they cared about him. Mingyu couldn’t blame Junhui for acting like he did, since he was loving Wonwoo just as much, but in a different way.

Mingyu was also the first one to leave the room, the others ignoring why he was hurrying so much. But Hansol and Jihoon knew exactly why he was wearing a striped shirt which was showing his collarbone more than usual. They grinned in duo but didn’t say anything, letting Mingyu and Wonwoo a chance to stay undercover.

“You guys are coming to see the movie with us?” Asked Jisoo to Hansol and Seungkwan.

Wanting to have another date together at a restaurant this time, they declined the offer. Gradually, the locker room started to be emptier as they were the only remaining players in it.

“So, baby, I see that your plan worked!”

Hansol nodded proudly in response.

“I didn’t know Mingyu was so attached to Wonwoo. But provoking him this morning worked way better than expected since they have a date right now!”

Seungkwan seemed satisfied to hear that as he undressed himself. Hansol quickly looked away, pretending to be very interested by the locker in front of him. Seungkwan laughed softly at this.

“What about this shyness? Weren’t you the alpha male of the university?”

Hansol felt a slight blush on his cheeks but still didn’t look in Seungkwan’s direction.

“I’m not a fuckboy either…”

“Whatever… I’m gonna take a shower, you’re coming?”

Hansol’s eyes widened as he turned his head to see the back of a very naked Seungkwan, who was walking towards the showers, as if he didn’t say anything. Hansol blushed furiously at the sight but still took off all of his clothes, wondering if he really heard that or if he just imagined what he wanted to.

Slowly, he approached the showers and chose the one next to Seungkwan’s. The jet was automatically activated as the water wetted his hair and shoulders. He shampooed his hair, trying to ignore the fact that he and his boyfriend were only separated by a ridiculous curtain. Of course Hansol wouldn’t dare tossing the damn curtain to respect Seungkwan’s privacy.

But the latter wasn’t so timid.

“You have a very nice butt too, love.”

Hansol jumped and covered that same butt with his hands before Seungkwan added:

“How the tables have turned…”

“Ya!!”

So before his boyfriend would kick him, Seungkwan fled to the lockers and whistled in the distance. He dressed up quickly and busted out in laughter after Hansol joined him again, two hands covering his package. Seungkwan being a real devil, he stole Hansol’s clothes and ran away with them, as the latter cursed and started to run too.  

“Come search them, headless chicken!!”  

This comic chase didn’t last long before Seungkwan took pity of his lover and handed him back his clothes. Once dressed up, Hansol jumped on his boyfriend, making him fall onto the ground and tickled him as a revenge while covering his face with kisses.

“I surrender! I said, I surrender!” Whined Seungkwan, half-laughing, half-suffering.  

“That’s what you get!” Mumbled Hansol before helping getting up.

But as Hansol didn’t expecting it, Seungkwan got up rapidly and pecked his lips playfully. To Seungkwan’s taste, his lover was even cuter like that, oblivious of what just happened. He brushed their noses slightly.

“I love you, American boy.”

Hansol’s heart jumped in his chest, loving to hear these three words out loud. He bit his lower lip, feeling cheeky, before answering with a smirk:

“I love you too, overreacting princess.”

Not waiting to hear his boyfriend complain, Hansol approached Seungkwan even more, joining their lips together again. Seungkwan jumped but he lost himself in the kiss as well, putting every of his emotions in it. Hansol too wanted to clearly express what he wanted from his boyfriend, unsure how to put these feelings into words. But as long as they were together and happy, nothing else was mattering.

Their date was without a doubt going to be amazing, just as the many years that they were going to face hand in hand.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank you so much to everyone who left kudos and reviews on this story, you guys really made my day! xx
> 
> big love uwu


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